A usually highly reliable source at Lexus tells me that there will be no LFA roadster, or, for that matter, any other LFA. The project is finished. Done. Syuryo.

The topless car had made appearances at major auto shows in the past in varying colors and sent speculations in high gear. It was never meant for production. Previous reports of an impending launch in 2014 were likewise wrong, my source assures me.

The source confirms TTAC’s report that the team at Motomachi has been mostly disbanded, and that only a small team is retained to supply LFA customers with parts and support. This can be a very safe assignment. Chief Engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi expects the lifetime of an LFA to be 50 years, or more. The carbon fiber material is virtually indestructible.

The car on display in Tokyo is the same car that had been shown before in varying colors. A give-away are the buttons at the center console that already look a little shopworn.

I love that car. Never driven one, but seen and heard a few take off (carrying their respective, liquored up pseudo celebs home from LA hotspots), and I’m simply not aware of a car that sounds more awesome. Makes the usual Italian suspects sound about as exciting as a Prius. It also moves on it’s suspension in a way that simply looks otherworldly.

For a lets-try-to-build-a-classic attempt, Toyota should have given it a manual transmission. Not-fully-evolved robotboxes don’t exactly age well. But if I was rich, or a bimbo with rich orbiters, I would keep one around, just for the occasional Sunday blast down some canyons and desert roads.